Zev Yaroslavsky

They are called the "five little kings." Each represents a constituency of about 2 million people. Together, they oversee America's largest local government agency, with a $27-billion budget and 100,000 employees. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided to grant themselves even more power over the working of the vast bureaucracy. The board unanimously approved a plan that would weaken the role of the county's chief executive officer and give the five board members the authority to hire and fire department heads and work more directly within county government's myriad agencies. The shift comes after years of clashes between some...

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This post has been corrected. See note below.
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